soobcollektor Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Hi all, I am going to be attempting to replace the headgaskets in my 97 Outback this weekend and was wondering ifd there is anything that i should know before I start. Ive done many headgaskets on Subarus before, including the 2.2, 1.8, 2.7 liter engines but never the 2.5. I've been reading and researching my repair manual and it seems as if i need to remove the cams to access the head bolts. How difficult is this to do and are there any gaskets I'll need other than the headgaskets, intake manifold gaskets, and exhaust gaskets, given the valve cover gaskets are ok. Also the torque sequence seems to be a little different than what i'm used to and is ther eany specific tool that I can use to measure the angles listed in the torque specs. Thanks in advance guys and i'm really looking forward to tearing into this engine, oh and by the way i've decided to leave the engine in the car, more of a challenge that way Tim (formerly fldcar) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 This link might help, if you haven't seen it already: http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/Head_gasket_replacement.html Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdonaldks Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Just did the head gaskets on my 97 OBW 1100Km ago. Can't imagine doing this job with the engine in the car. You will triple the level of difficulty of most of the work that needs to be done. You will need to pull the cams as 4 of the 6 head bolts are hidden below. Check the heads for warpage, mine were each out 0.003" and required surfacing. Also check your valve clearances. I had 1 tight intake and 1 loose exhaust valve. Repaired each with a $6 CDN shim. I'd recomend replacing the valve cover gaskets, spark plug gaskets and the 1/2 moon plugs at the rear of the cover. The torque sequence was a breeze with the engine on a stand but to do this in the car and keep the sequence correct would be a challenge. Much harder to tell when you've turned the bolt 90 degrees when you cant do it all in one stroke. While you have things apart, are you also considering the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, cam seals, crank seals, tensioners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.